The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday issued a ‘red alert’ for parts of western Uttar Pradesh, forecasting heavy to extremely heavy rainfall over the next 24 hours as intensified monsoon activity claimed at least seven lives and caused disruptions across the state.
The deaths were reported from Sant Kabir Nagar, Kushinagar, Bulandshahr, Shamli and Ghaziabad in separate rain-related incidents, officials said.
In Sant Kabir Nagar, two women died after being struck by lightning in separate villages. Sub-Divisional Magistrate Arun Kumar said Chandni (17) of Katya village and Varsana (60) of Pratapur village died while working in fields in Mehdawal Tehsil. He said reports had been sought and government assistance would be provided to their families.
In Kushinagar, Rahul Kumar (14) died after being struck by lightning while standing on a field bund as his mother handed him vegetables harvested from their farm in Thadhibhar village under Vishanpura police station limits. The family declined post-mortem examination, police said.
In Bulandshahr, two people were killed and four others injured after a wall collapsed on makeshift tents erected beside it in Mundakheda village under Khurja following heavy rain.
Circle Officer Shobhit Kumar said the wall collapsed around 5 pm, burying six people living in temporary tents beside a vacant plot. Two people died while four were injured, of whom two were referred to a higher medical centre. Rescue operations have been completed and no one else is feared trapped, he said.
In Shamli district, a 49-year-old man, Shahid, died and his two sons — Aman (17) and Nauman (15) — were seriously injured after the wall of a tin shed collapsed on them in Thanabhawan town during heavy rain.
Station House Officer Bijendra Singh said police rushed to the spot and shifted the three to hospital, where Shahid was declared dead. His sons are undergoing treatment.
In Ghaziabad, a three-year-old girl, Pallavi, drowned after being swept into a waterlogged drain outside her house in Sarvodaya Colony under Vijay Nagar police station limits.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Upasana Pandey said the child fell into rainwater accumulated outside her house and died. Additional Municipal Commissioner Jung Bahadur Yadav said the bereaved family would be provided assistance and compensated as per rules.
According to the Regional Meteorological Centre, Lucknow, very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall is likely in Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Amroha, Moradabad, Rampur, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Sambhal and Badaun districts, while heavy to very heavy rainfall has been forecast for several other districts in western and central Uttar Pradesh.
The weather office said widespread rainfall activity is expected across the state till July 11, with temperatures likely to fall by 2-4 degrees Celsius over the next two to three days.
Heavy rain disrupted normal life in Noida and neighbouring Ghaziabad, leading to widespread waterlogging, traffic snarls and a road cave-in in Vasundhara Sector 13.
A section of a residential road collapsed beside an under-construction basement, sending a parked car and a scooter into a pit, while a nearby electricity pole also tilted into the crater. No one was injured.
Several areas of Noida witnessed knee-deep waterlogging, vehicles broke down on flooded roads and long traffic jams were reported.
The transport department office in Noida’s Sector 33 was inundated, while similar flooding was reported at the Civil Lines police station and Mahila Thana in Prayagraj.
The Ghaziabad district administration on Thursday evening ordered the closure of all schools across boards on Friday in view of the IMD’s forecast of heavy rainfall.
In Muzaffarnagar, 20 goats were killed after a kutcha house belonging to Mohan Lal collapsed during heavy rain in Bhokaheri village under Bhopa police station limits.
Station House Officer Ashutosh Kumar said continuous rainfall over the past 48 hours had disrupted normal life across the district.
Lucknow received 27.2 mm rainfall between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Thursday.
The maximum temperature settled at 33 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees below normal, while the minimum temperature was 27.2 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees above normal. Relative humidity touched 94 per cent and the city is expected to witness intermittent rain and thundershowers over the next 24 hours. The IMD has warned of heavy rainfall over Lucknow and adjoining areas.
During the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, Meerut recorded 94.9 mm rainfall, Muzaffarnagar 68.2 mm, Bareilly observatory 58.8 mm and Moradabad 22 mm.
Among other stations, Aligarh recorded 18 mm, Kanpur (IAF) 15.8 mm, Prayagraj 13.2 mm, Shahjahanpur 10 mm, Azamgarh 9.4 mm, Hardoi 9.2 mm and Sultanpur 6 mm.
The highest maximum temperature in the state was recorded at 36.2 degrees Celsius in Agra, followed by 35 degrees Celsius in Jhansi and Basti. Meerut remained among the coolest major cities with a maximum of 26.1 degrees Celsius, while Muzaffarnagar recorded 26.5 degrees Celsius and Aligarh 26.2 degrees Celsius.
The IMD said monsoon activity has strengthened due to the movement of a low-pressure system over northwest Madhya Pradesh and an associated upper-air cyclonic circulation, which is expected to move north-northeastwards over the next 24 hours, enhancing rainfall across Uttar Pradesh.
The department advised people in districts under red and orange alerts to remain cautious as intense rainfall may lead to waterlogging, reduced visibility, traffic disruption and localised flooding. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning are also likely in many parts of the state.
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